Another Writing Secret

Persistence is a trait you need to develop for your writing journey.

The Brittanica Dictionary Online defines this as “the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something, even though it is difficult” (Brittanica Dictionary, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc. Accessed January 2023).

Writing for publication is difficult, all-consuming, and often overwhelming. Each phase: researching, planning, plotting, writing, revising (and revising) takes a lot of time and energy.

It also takes a lot of courage to show others your work and to ask for feedback. The natural inclination is to want praise and accolades for your beautiful manuscript that you’ve sweated and bled over for months (or years). While praise is awesome, uplifting, and reassuring, you need the feedback that will help you get your work published. Publishing is a business. Agents and publishers are looking to represent projects that they can sell. It’s a crowded market out there. Your work has to be the best it can possibly be because you may get only one chance with an agent or editor. It takes a lot of work to get a manuscript to that point. Don’t give up.

Here are some ideas that may help you along your writing journey:

1. When you think your manuscript is done, print it out and proofread it again.

2. Check all the details like names, physical descriptions, and the story’s timeline for consistency.

3. Run your word processor’s spellcheck after each major round of editing to catch any booboos you may have made correcting other things.

4. Find a writing partner or a critique group and exchange pages or manuscripts. It’s best to find someone who writes and understands your genre.

5. Know what’s out there in your genre. Sometimes, a manuscript can be rejected because an agent or publisher already represents a similar one.

6. Make sure that you read your genre regularly to understand the trends and conventions. Read the acknowledgments page to see what agents and publishing houses produce books you like.

7. Find an independent editor, especially if this is your first manuscript. They can be pricey. I asked my writer friends for a recommendation, and I found an editor who specialized in mysteries. If it’s not in the budget, seek out a middle or high school English teacher in your area. Often many will do side-work at an affordable price, and they can help you with basic edits and proofreading.

When your manuscript is the best you can make it, then it’s time to do your homework and target agents/publishers that represent your genre. Follow all submission instructions.

Now, the wait begins. Sometimes, you’ll get a quick response, but others could take weeks or months. Use that time to write your next book and to build your author platform.

Persistence is key. Writing is a tough job with lots of feedback and rejections.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with Jacob Sahms

I’d like to welcome the very inspiring author and speaker (and fellow UR Spider fan) Rev. Jacob Sahms to the blog for #ThisorThatThursday!

Things you love about writing: self-expression, ability to touch someone else’s heart

Things you hate about writing: deadlines, editing myself

Hardest thing about being a writer: criticism

Easiest thing about being a writer: content

Favorite music or song: Christian rap

Music that drives you crazy: techno

Something you’re really good at: coaching sports

Something you’re really bad at: assembling furniture

Something you wish you could do: play the guitar

Something you wish you’d never learned to do: drive a church bus

Something you like to do: go to the beach

Something you wish you’d never done: climb on a roof

Things you’d walk a mile for: family, a sporting event, ice cream

Things that make you want to run screaming from the room: politics, extreme opinions, cruelty

Favorite places you’ve been: Boston, MA; the beach (anywhere); home

Places you never want to go to again: Kentucky; St. Louis, MO

Favorite books (or genre): thrillers

Books you wouldn’t buy: diet guides

Favorite things to do: play sports or board games, watch sports live or on TV, read a book

Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: root canals

Things that make you happy: time with my family, reading, building LEGO sets, playing sports

Things that drive you crazy: bullying, lack of respect, judgmental attitudes, my own mistakes

Most embarrassing moment: Playing the piano in church without practicing

Proudest moment: Watching my children succeed

About Jacob:

Rev. Jacob Sahms (or just Jacob to everyone he meets) is a son, husband, dad, coach, pastor, and film critic. Originally from Rhode Island, he and his wife Joanne met at the University of Richmond, where he later served as a campus minister and then associate chaplain, before being appointed to local churches in central Virginia through the United Methodist Church. He helped found ScreenFish.net, a site that looks at media from a Christian perspective, and has written for HollywoodJesus.com, Dove.org, and others, interviewing creators of popular media for film and television, including David Oyelowo, Kurt Russell, and Dude Perfect. While that all sounds reasonably similar, he has also flipped burgers at McDonalds, offered advice as a fantasy football guru for an app, made drinks and desserts as a barista, saved lives as a lifeguard, taught English at a junior college, and provided various unmentionable services for local water and sewer. Now, outside of pastoring a church, he coaches his sons in soccer for the Richmond Kickers, where he received the distinction of the Virginia Youth Soccer Association’s Boys Recreational Coach of the Year for 2021-22. When time allows, he’s rooting avidly for the Duke Blue Devils, Boston Red Sox, and Richmond Spiders.

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#WriterWednesday Interview with Jenna Greene

I’d like to welcome author Jenna Greene to the blog for #WriterWednesday!

Favorite thing to do when you have free time: Well, I am a teacher, writer, mother, coach.... therefore, I love a good nap. (Honestly). But I also love a lot of creative endeavors. I dance. I sing. I color. I’m a horrible artist but I still like drawing. And coloring can’t be done wrong. Who doesn’t love to color.

The thing you’ll always move to the bottom of your to do list: Mostly all the chores. I’m so busy that there’s little time in the day and I am not going to waste it cleaning. As long as things are tidy, that’s good enough.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave: I need to be surrounded by books, for inspiration and just a pleasant feeling. And I can’t write without a cup of tea nearby.

Things that distract you from writing: Pretty much everything. I love writing but it has its challenges. Writing is wondrously hard. So I have to make time to write and set my own goals to make sure I actually get to work.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Editing. It’s hard letting things go or making everything ‘just perfect’.
Easiest thing about being a writer: Creating places, people, cultures, lands, magical systems, conflicts, everything!

Favorite snacks: Every single flavor of potato chip. (Top three: regular, ketchup, sour cream n’ onion)

Things that make you want to gag:  Coffee, iced tea, and root beer. (I know, right?)

Something you’re really good at: Texting quickly with proper grammar and sentence structure.
Something you’re really bad at: Walking without falling.

Something you wanted to be when you were a kid: A figure skater.

Something you do that you never dreamed you’d do: Have an impact on the world in little ways each and every day.

Things to say to an author: I’m proud of you. Look what you accomplished.
Things to say to an author if you want to be fictionally killed off in their next book: Movies are better.

Favorite places you’ve been: London, England. What’s better than that? It has history and literature and really amazing people. I love visiting castles and manors and seeing the verdant countryside.

Places you never want to go to again: Chicago in the winter when my luggage doesn’t arrive, meaning I don’t have a coat. Brr. (But it’s probably a nice place if you’re dressed properly).

People you’d like to invite to dinner (living): Harrison Ford and Tom Hanks. I feel they have stories to tell.
People you’d cancel dinner on: Anyone if the supper is planned for after 9 p.m.

Favorite things to do: Nap.
Things you’d run through a fire or eat bugs to get out of doing: Go skiing. (No, really. It’s cold. It’s too fast. Clumsy people should have to weave around trees).

Most embarrassing moment: Well, there are so many. It’s hard to choose just one. I fall down a lot. I walk into things. Sometimes I wear two different shoes to work.
Proudest moment: My daughter. Her existence and her growth each day.

About Jenna:

Jenna Greene is a YA/ Children’s author from Alberta, Canada. When she isn’t writing, she is dancing, coaching dragonboat paddlers, or taking a well-deserved nap. She is known for her award-winning Reborn Marks series. Follow her on social media at www.jennagreene.ca or @jgreenewrites

Make Sure You’re Prepared - Every Second Counts

When Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills collapsed on the football field, I was stunned and frightened. It made me wonder would I know what to do if it happened to someone around me. And he is living proof that immediate CPR saves lives.

I haven’t had CPR training in years, and I’ve never touched at AED. Would I really know what to do?

This is the link to the American Heart Association’s hand-only CPR demonstration. Seconds matter in an emergency. Immediate CPR can double or triple someone’s chance of survival after a cardiac event. And this is so easy to learn.

Time is everything in medical emergencies. Do you know what to do?

And the experts have made it easy to keep your rhythm during CPR compressions. Here’s the playlist of songs that have 100-120 beats per minute that will help you keep a steady rhythm. My favorite is “Stayin’ Alive” by the BeeGees. I know the song. I can keep the compressions going until the first responders arrive.

Make sure you’re prepared. You never know when something will happen, and seconds do matter.

#ThisorThatThursday - Throwback to Summer Edition with Melanie P. Smith

We’re in the throes of winter here in the northern hemisphere, so my guest today, Melanie P. Smith, is going to give us a little taste of summer with her #ThisorThatThursday interview.

A few of your favorite summer traditions:

Camping in the wilderness, playing softball, horseback riding, motorcycle trips.

Something summer-related that you’ll never do again:

Visit Zion National Park in July — the temps reached 112°F that summer and I’m pretty sure we suffered heat exhaustion.

Favorite summer treat:

Orange Julius and cold lemonade

A summer treat that makes you gag:

Hot dogs

Funniest summer story:

My grandmother owned a small mountain lot in a nearby canyon. She insisted the entire family had to get together at the lot to have a picnic every 4th of July. One year we experienced a summer downpour, but she wouldn’t cancel. We were gathered around the firepit with my grandmother insisting the fire would start if we just tried harder, lightning flashed all around us, and rain poured down in buckets. We were all completely soaked by the time we talked her into leaving.

Something embarrassing that happened during the summer:

I went to a local fun park with friends and agreed to race the Go-Karts. The attendant handed me a helmet, but I didn’t try it on. It was about three sizes too big. I was racing down the far end of the track when the helmet turned sideways, and I was completely blinded. Before I could stop, I left the paved track, darted across the lawn, and collided with a stack of hay bales. The car died and they had to push it back to the garage. I got to do the walk of shame back to the starting line.

Best thing you ever grilled in spring:

The first burger of the season after a long winter.

Your worst kitchen or grilling disaster:

I was making potato casserole for a large family gathering and one of my glass dishes exploded destroying that dish and launching shards of glass into the second dish. I ended up with a gooey mess in the oven and nothing to take to the family gathering.

Most favorite place to write/edit in the summer:

I love to write outside at night on my back patio with a fire burning in the fire pit.

The worst place to try to write in the summer because of all the distractions:

On vacation.

Favorite thing to do on a summer evening:

Relax in front of a campfire – preferably in the mountains.

Least favorite thing about summer:

Heat — here in Utah, the highs can get over 100°F.

The thing you like most about being a writer:

Creating a story that entertains my readers and provides a means of escape for a little while.

The thing you like least about being a writer:

All the non-writing stuff that comes with being an author. It’s hard to balance what I want to do (write) with the things I know I need to do.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

Skydiving, rappelling from the Snowbird Ski Tram, or cliff diving at Lake Powell — I can’t decide which was the most daring.

Something you chickened out from doing:

Rappelling off the Red Rock Cliff in St. George, Utah at night. I didn’t trust the guys rigging the line.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

A reader told me she loved my Thin Blue Line series so much she read it several times and was still reading it again.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I was told that because I grew up in a loving Christian home, I shouldn’t write criminal suspense because the subject is too dark and violent.

The funniest thing that happened to you in an airport:

I went skydiving the first time I ever flew in a plane and the instructor thought I was crazy.

The most embarrassing thing that happened to you in an airport:

My flight was changed and rerouted to a different airport in Italy from France. The staff didn’t realize I was rerouted and didn’t stamp my passport. I got stuck wandering around trying to find someone that could speak English because they wouldn’t let me leave and couldn’t understand what I was trying to tell them.

The best summer job you ever had:

Working as a job coach for special needs young adults

The worst summer job you ever had:

Working on an assembly line scraping the excess rubber from door stoppers

About Melanie:

Melanie P. Smith is a multi-genre author of criminal suspense; police procedurals; and paranormal, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah and has always loved adventure. Melanie spent her childhood playing sports, water-skiing, horseback riding, and tending to the many animals on her family farm. She’s been skydiving, rappelling, and loves to explore backroads on her Harley, venture into the wilderness on her ATV, and capture that next amazing photo.

Melanie has an Associates of Science degree in Marketing, a bachelor’s in Business Management, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation. She’s on the editorial staff of two bestselling, international eMagazines, coordinates an annual writing competition, and works as an administrator / mentor for multiple writing groups.

Long before she delved into the world of fantasy and suspense, Melanie served nearly three decades in the Special Operations Division at her local sheriff’s office supporting SWAT, Search & Rescue, K9, the Motor Unit, Investigations, and the Child Abduction Response Team.  She now uses that training and knowledge to create stories that are action-packed, gripping, and realistic.  You can find more about Melanie and her books on her website and social media platforms.

 Let’s Be Social:

Visit Melanie on her website at www.melaniepsmith.com

Find her on Facebook at https://geni.us/MPSFacebook

Instagram https://geni.us/MPSInstagram

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Locals Community https://geni.us/MPSLocals

BoobBub https://geni.us/MPSBookBub

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#WriterWednesday Interview with K. C. Grifant

I’d like to welcome author K. C. Grifant to the blog today!

A few of your favorite things: I love Back to the Future paraphernalia, new coffee beans, interesting stone pendants.

Things you need to throw out: My high heels – after becoming a parent and getting used to a work-from-home lifestyle, I hope to never wear them again.

Things you need for your writing sessions: Coffee, sugar, and music.

Things that hamper your writing: Leaf-blowers outside the window, doorbells.

Things you love about writing: The opportunity to create entirely new worlds and realities.

Things you hate about writing: How typos and errors are as persistent as cockroaches, even in final drafts.

Hardest thing about being a writer: Fighting off imposter syndrome.

Easiest thing about being a writer: Recommending books and authors.

Words that describe you: Creative and thoughtful

Words that describe you, but you wish they didn’t: Quiet

Favorite foods: Tacos

Things that make you want to gag: Licorice

Favorite beverage: A creative latte

Something that gives you a sour face: sour beer

Favorite smell: Amber, lilacs and jasmine

Something that makes you hold your nose: overpowering candles

Favorite books (or genre): Anything with a speculative and creative twist, so ideally something in the sci-fi, fantasy or horror genres.

Books you wouldn’t buy: A series that doesn’t have any speculative elements.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life: The kindness and support of friends, family and strangers when my debut book came out.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over: I wish I had learned how to ignore imposter syndrome much earlier.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done: Riding in a hot air balloon. It seems tranquil and peaceful until you think about how you’re floating hundreds of feet in the air in essentially a giant wicker basket beneath a huge flame and balloon.

Something you chickened out from doing: Sky diving. Growing up it always sounded like fun, but now I’ve hit an age where the thought is more terrifying than appealing.

About K. C.:

KC Grifant is an award-winning author based in Southern California who writes internationally published horror, fantasy, science fiction and weird west stories for podcasts, anthologies and magazines. Her short stories have appeared in Andromeda Spaceways Magazine, Unnerving Magazine, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Dark Matter Magazine, the British SF Association’s Fission Magazine, Tales to Terrify, the Lovecraft eZine, and many others.

 In addition to a Weird West novel, MELINDA WEST: MONSTER GUNSLINGER (Brigids Gate Press, Feb 2023), she has also written for dozens of anthologies, including: Chromophobia; Musings of the Muse; Dancing in the Shadows—A Tribute to Anne Rice; Field Notes from a Nightmare; The One That Got Away; Six Guns Straight From Hell; Shadowy Natures; Beyond the Infinite - Tales from the Outer Reaches; and the Stoker-nominated Fright Mare: Women Write Horror.

 For details, please visit www.KCGrifant.com or @kcgrifant on the social sites.

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Website:  www.KCGrifant.com

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Book page: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BNWR19WN

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What to do When You Don't Feel Like Writing

I try to write every day, but life does get in the ways sometimes. And there are days when I just don’t feel like working. Here are some ideas to jump start your creativity.

• When I am in writing mode, I try to “bank some words” to meet my weekly goals. This gives me some flexibility for days with less productivity. I also do this if I know I have a busy day with not much time to write.

• Work on other projects like your website, blog, editing, proofreading.

• Work on book marketing or event planning.

• Build your social media platforms by following new accounts and responding to comments and posts.

• Excercise. Even a few minutes will get your endorphins pumping.

• Take a break and go for a walk (even if it’s up and down the hall). A change of scenery is often good.

• Work on another creative project like cooking, painting, sewing, etc. Sometimes, it will help you get your mind focused when you return to writing.

• Step away from your desk and go somewhere else. The time away is often the break you need.

• Make sure you’ve turned off or blocked out distractions. Sometimes, shutting the door helps. I use my noise-cancelling headphones before I throw in the towel on an unproductive writing session.

When I’m not motivated, it’s usually because I’m distracted by something else (usually my phone, email, or social media). My headphones were a great investment.

#ThisorThatThursday Author Interview with D. C. Gomez

I’d like to welcome back D. C. Gomez to the blog for more on her latest work.

Favorite thing that you always make time for:

One of my favorite things that I always make time for is reading. With my crazy schedule sometimes reading is more like a reward, but still makes everything better.

The thing you’ll always do just about anything to avoid:

I still hate vacuuming. It’s seriously one of those necessary evils since I suffer from allergies. But I procrastinate as much as possible before doing it.

Things you need when you’re in your writing cave:

When I’m writing, I need my space to be as comfy as possible. I normally have candles on, a blanket over my legs, and lots of water easily available. On the practical side, since I write Urban Fantasy, Goggle Earth is the one app I allowed myself to have on all the time.

Things that distract you from writing:

My biggest distraction is social media. I honestly have to set a timer when I’m working on a book to make sure I don’t fall down the social media hole and get nothing done.

The coolest thing you’ve bought online:

I have an obsession with kitchen appliances. This is something all my family makes fun of me for. The coolest thing I bought online was a panini press. It’s truly so much fun, if you like sandwiches of courses.

The thing you wished you’d never bought.

One crazy thing I recently purchased was a case of stuffed olives. The packaging said they were delicious stuffed with salmon. Not the best purchased I made, especially since I had 24 cans of these things. Now I’m working on paying more attention to item descriptions.

The thing that you will most remember about your writing life:

The one thing I will most remember in my writing journey, is being able to meet and connect with readers at live events. This has been the most unexpected and fun part of this journey. It has been a true blessing to meet as many people as I have throughout the years.

Something in your writing life that you wish you could do over:

If I could do something over, it would be to invest in ads from the beginning. I feel like I wasted a lot of time and money trying to learn how to market my books without ads.

Something you’re really good at:

I’m actually great at cooking. It’s also one of my favorite things to do to relax. Lately I don’t have as much time to cook as I would like, so I cherish the time that I do.

Something you never learned how to do:

This is probably the most shocking thing for most people to learn since I grew up in an island. I never learned to swim. It’s on my bucket list now.

Your best recipe:

I have an awesome recipe for a Flan. The Latin desert is something I grew up making since I was little. I have a crazy sweet tooth, so I enjoy how easy it is to make.

Something that didn’t turn out like you planned when you made it:

I tried once to make tiramisu and failed miserably. There was a terrible mess in my kitchen and the poor thing tasted nasty.

Things you always put in your books:

I didn’t realize how much food is in my books. I have reader mentioned that my books make them hungry, because I’m always describing what my characters are eating all the time.

Things you never put in your books:

This one is hard. Since I write in multiple genres I get to play with my different things. Probably the one thing you wouldn’t see in many of my books is a graphic sex scene. The books that might sex in them usually fade to black.

Most daring thing you’ve ever done:

To this day, joining the military was the most daring thing I ever done. Nobody in my family had ever been in the armed forces, so this was a leap of faith with very little information.

Something you chickened out from doing:

I learned later in life that I’m terrified of heights. Things that I chickened out is rock climbing. While it sounds very exciting, that is something I can absolutely live without.

The coolest person you’ve ever met:

To this day, Elizabeth Gilbert is the coolest person I have ever met. She is absolutely charming and personable. Officially the kind person you just want to chill with.

The celebrity who didn’t look like he/she did in pictures/video:

I had the opportunity to meet Mark Anthony at a previous job. He is truly a sweetheart, but I was not aware how small he is.

The nicest thing a reader said to you:

One of the nicest things a reader has told me, is that they read my devotionals every morning. The fact they made those books part of their daily routine just made my day.

The craziest thing a reader said to you:

I had a reader who truly loves my Urban Fantasy books. One of the funniest and wildest things he told me was that the books were like a documentary on his life.

About D. C.:

D. C. Gomez is an award-winning USA Today Bestselling Author, Podcaster, motivational speaker, and coach. Born in the Dominican Republic, she grew up in Salem, Massachusetts. D. C. studied film and television at New York University. After college, she joined the US Army, and proudly served for four years.

D. C. has a master’s degree in Science Administration from the Central Michigan University, as well as a Master in Adult Education from Texas A&M- Texarkana University. She is a certified John Maxwell Team speaker and coach, and a certified meditation instructor from the Chopra Center.

One of D. C. passions is helping those around her overcome their self-limiting beliefs. She writes both non-fiction as well as fiction books, ranging from Urban Fantasy to Children’s Books. To learn more about her books and her passion, you can find her at www.dcgomez-author.com.

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